


Animorphs TV Reboot Project

by nanianela



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 06:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8787991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanianela/pseuds/nanianela
Summary: With Stranger Things' emphasis on the '80s this summer, I say it's about time to throw it back to the wonderful 1990s!I read all 54 books recently, and for NaNoWriMo '16 I decided to try and translate the series into a screenplay format since I just took my first Introduction to Screenwriting course. I want to put it into a Netflix-style show, so I plan for about 10 episodes that are 50-55 minutes each. This is a challenge I set for myself, since it will be hard to put so much content into 10ish hours of screen time, but I wanted to see if I could make an abridged version without sacrificing too much of the original works, like some shows do. Some of my original ideas are in here, but a lot has been cross-referenced with the books so I don't lose great dialogue or scenes.One chapter will be one episode.This also comes with a Pinterest Inspo board, which you can see hereI'm mostly uploading this here so I feel obligated to update and really finish this full project, but of course feedback would be greatly appreciated!





	

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for any formatting mistakes. The software I use doesn't translate at all to AO3!

FADE IN:

INT. ARCADE/COMIC BOOK STORE - NIGHT

We see a Memphis Milano rug pattern on the floor of the darkened arcade. Two middle school aged boys, dramatically different heights, play a shooter video game. Digitized arcade game sound effects BLARE.

SUPERIMPOSE: “ ____ CA, 1996”(The location is redacted information, and appears as a black rectangular line.)

JAKE, 13, white and tall, holds a red plastic gun which is attached to the game. Jake wears exercise shorts, basketball shoes two sizes too big, and an oversized red jersey. He has floppy brown hair.

MARCO, 13, holds the blue gun. Marco, biracial Latino/White and short, wears blue jeans with threadbare whitened heels from dragging on the ground, navy blue Chucks, and a blue and white block-striped collared shirt. His dark hair is past his ears and hangs on either side of his face in a middle part.

Marco has to stand on his tiptoes to see the screen. The colors of the game flash across their faces. Marco is enthusiastic, and Jake distracted.

A blue pixel spaceship flying among stars crashes out of the screen, and the game plays a descending pixel tune and displays a flashing "GAME OVER". 

MARCO  
Ha! Fourth time in a row I beat your butt. 

Jake shoves the red gun back into the slot, glum. 

JAKE  
Yeah. Nice one, Marco.

MARCO  
C'mon. You mean nice four.

Jake fishes around in his pockets, then pulls it inside out. He lets the mesh pouch hang.

JAKE  
I’m out of quarters. You?

MARCO  
Yeah, this game took my last one. Stupid rigged thing!  
(he hits it with the palm of his hand)  
Let’s head home.

Marco shoves the blue gun back into its slot with a CLATTER and falls into step with Jake, who is about six inches taller than him. Marco slugs him on the shoulder.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
You’re not still worrying about that dumb tryout, right Jake?

JAKE  
No. It’s no big thing. I don’t even really like the basketball team that much.

MARCO  
Yeah. Basketball’s lame.  
I bet you could beat anyone on that team at Space  
Invaders with one hand tied behind your back.

Jake smiles, hangs his head. Marco elbows him in the ribs.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
Hey, isn’t that the new kid?

  
Jake makes eye contact with TOBIAS, 13, a gangly blonde kid in scruffy clothing. Tobias smiles shyly, awkwardly puts his casted arm and hand up in greeting, and comes toward them.

  
MARCO (CONT’D) Wait--you know this guy?

CUT TO:

INT. BOY’S RESTROOM - DAY - (FLASHBACK)

Jake hears laughing, flushing, and coughs. He pushes the door into the bathroom with urgency. He wears his red backpack with one strap slung over a shoulder, he freezes in place.

In the handicap stall, two JOCKS wearing vibrant yellow, blue, and white Varsity jackets hold Tobias' head into the toilet bowl. JOCK 1 holds down the flusher, JOCK 2 roars with laughter. Tobias' sopping wet hair hangs over his face and he coughs and sputters, pushing the hair out of his face with his broken arm in a blank white cast. 

Glasses sit in the bottom of the toilet bowl, and Tobias tries to reach into the water to grab them. They’re flushed away.

Jake approaches, widening his stance when he stops.

JAKE  
Hey! Step off, guys!

Jake’s voice cracks, he looks humiliated by it. JOCK 1 and JOCK 2 look at him, grins on their faces.

JOCK 1  
Pssht! Isn’t this little squirt Tom’s brother? What, trying to play hero?

Jake clears his throat hard to prevent another crack.

JAKE  
Leave him alone, guys, c’mon!

JOCK 2 shoves Tobias. The two snicker and get up from their crouches.

JOCK 2  
Only ‘cuz your Tom’s kid brother.

Jock 2 lightly paws Jake on the back of the head as they leave, Jake’s hair flops. Tobias kneels near the corner, gags and chokes on the water. He squints at Jake. 

TOBIAS  
My glasses! My uncle’s gonna kill me...

Jake steps forward and helps haul him to his feet.

JAKE  
Can you see okay without them?  
  
TOBIAS  
(moodily)  
Not really. I guess squinting is going to have to do the trick.

 

JAKE  
Those jerks will stop, I promise.  
It’s just cuz you’re new. What’s your name? 

TOBIAS  
To-Tobias.

JAKE  
Okay, I’m Jake.  
(beat)  
Whoa, cool! You must be pretty tough.  
How did you break your arm?

Tobias is silent, and pats down his face with his t-shirt.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
Well, um, I noticed it’s blank, I’ve always wanted to sign one of those.  
Mind if I sign it?

Tobias finally smiles and nods. He sticks it out. Jake takes off his backpack and digs out a Sharpie, and smiles as he scribbles his name. Tobias checks it out and rotates the cast, grinning.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
(lightly pounds Tobias on the back)  
Come on, let’s get out of here.

CUT TO:

INT. MALL - NIGHT - (BACK TO PRESENT)

Tobias approaches the two boys, squinting hard. The only signature on his cast is still just Jake’s.

TOBIAS  
What’s up?

Jake and Marco stand awkward and guarded. Jake shrugs. 

JAKE  
Not much. We’re just heading home.

MARCO  
Out of quarters. Certain people  
(hikes his thumb at Jake)  
keep losing the game, and our quarters.

TOBIAS  
Yeah, I always figured those games were rigged.  
I was, uh, just leaving, too.  
So, uhhh, maybe I’ll head home with you guys?

Jake shrugs again.

JAKE  
Yeah. Sure.

 

CUT TO:

EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - NIGHT

The three boys make a motley crew as they walk together on the sidewalk. Tilt Shift. The expanse of night sky looks huge and dark, the boys tiny.

Marco kicks a pebble that skitters into the street. A rusty crane towers over the site on the other side of a fence with black fabric with U-cuts. The crane creaks quietly and sways in the wind. One side of the site are thick trees, the other a large field.

A tall blonde girl, RACHEL (13), wears a skirt, a headband, a zebra-pattern slap bracelet, and a 90s fashionable pink top with a large sequin heart. She tugs on the fence with a clatter and makes a gap only big enough for a kid to fit. A short black girl, CASSIE (12), wears tomboy denim overalls, a purple T-shirt, yellow rubber boots, her natural hair is only a few inches long. Cassie begins to squeeze through.

JAKE  
Hey Rachel!  
You guys shouldn’t cut through the construction site by yourselves.  
I mean, being girls and all.

Rachel cups her hands around her mouth to yell across the street.

RACHEL  
What, are you going to come and protect us,  
you big, strong maaan?

Jake smiles and scoffs, and the three boys jaywalk across the dimly lit street. Rachel puts her hands on her hips.

RACHEL (CONT’D)  
So what, you think we’re helpless just because--

CASSIE  
I'd kind of like it if they did walk with us.  
I know you're not afraid of anything,  
Rachel, but I guess I am.

Rachel looks at Jake and rolls her eyes, shakes her head. She scoffs and smiles. She motions through the opening.

RACHEL  
After you, Cassie.

Cassie squeezes into the construction site, followed by the rest. They look at the dimly lit site, all scared. It looks dangerous: sharp rusted metal, pits of dark water, and areas of pitch black. The crane continues to creak and sway. Jake looks out at the scene with his hands in his pockets.

JAKE  
Man, my parents would ground me 'till  
I'm twenty if they ever found out I cut through here. 

Rachel shoves him playfully and takes the first steps through.

RACHEL  
C’mon, couzie, live a little.

JAKE  
Before you say I’m lame, I climbed that crane once! (he points)

MARCO  
Yeah, like an idiot, while I stayed safely on the ground.

Jake kicks a green beer bottle. Cassie looks around, alert and nervous.

CASSIE  
Do you think anyone's out here tonight? 

RACHEL  
Awww, Cassie. Even if there was, big strong  
Jake would fend them off for us, right couz?  
Wait-- shh! I think I hear someone!

JAKE  
Rachel, knock it off.

RACHEL  
What’s that? A chainsaw?  
A chainsaw killer, here to get us  
and chop us up into little bits!

Tobias lags behind the group. His head tilts back at the sky, and he holds one arm straight up with his pointer finger extended. He squints so hard his whole face wrinkles.

TOBIAS  
Look.

Jake still looks uneasy. He doesn't turn fully toward Tobias.

JAKE  
What?

TOBIAS  
Just. Look. I need to know   
if I’m seeing what I think I’m seeing.

Jake looks up to where he's pointing in awe. A blue-white light streaks and flares brightly across the sky like a comet. Their eyes meet.

CUT TO:

ARCADE GAME SCREEN

The pixel graphics of an arcade game. A blue UFO ‘floats’ up and down with the flashing letters "INSERT COIN".

CUT TO:

EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - NIGHT

JAKE  
Could it be--

CASSIE  
It’s a flying saucer!

The blue egg-like spacecraft, with engines glowing white and a mechanical scorpion tail, hums and hovers unsteadily in place. The craft is melted and damaged, sprays white sparks.

RACHEL  
It’s stopping!

They all stand together, transfixed with their heads tilted back to the sky.

MARCO  
I think it sees us! Should we run?  
Maybe run and get a camera, actually.  
A picture of a real live UFO--  
that would bring in the big bucks, for sure!

The spacecraft unsteadily descends from the air. Everyone's hair sticks up with static. Everyone except Tobias looks scared. He smiles, awestruck.

TOBIAS  
(quietly) It’s landing.

The craft’s mechanical scorpion tail presses to the ground to stabilize: it folds like a CAT excavator boom and arm, with the ‘bucket’ touching down first. It lands at a tilted angle, the blue engine lights shut off and everyone's hair falls back down to normal. It STEAMS.

RACHEL  
Maybe we can try to talk to it?

Tobias holds up his empty hands and crouches.

TOBIAS  
(gently)  
It's safe. Please come out. We won't hurt you. I promise.

ALIEN (V.O.)  
I know.

They all look at each other, disoriented by the omnipresent voice.

TOBIAS  
(digs pinky in ear)  
Okay, did everyone hear that?

The others nod sincerely. Tobias faces the spacecraft again, clears his throat, and raises his voice.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
Can you come out?

ALIEN (V.O.)  
Yes. Do not be afraid.

TOBIAS  
We won’t be.

A circular door slides open, resembling the phases of the moon. It reveals a deer-sized, blue and tan centaur-like alien with no mouth, stalk eyes and facial eyes, and a large curled scorpion tail.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
(astonished)  
Hello...

The injured quadruped creature hobbles to the soil, falls down.

CASSIE  
He’s been burned! Jake, let me have your jersey.  
We can rip it into bandages!

ALIEN (V.O.)  
No. There are already coming for me.  
I will die.

JAKE  
Th-there must be something we can do!  
Please! We have to save you, the first alien to--

ALIEN (V.O.)  
No. I am not the first to come to Earth.  
There are many... many others.

TOBIAS  
Other aliens here? Like you?

ALIEN (V.O.)  
No. Not like me. Not like us at all.   
(beat)  
They have come to destroy you.

The alien struggles with its pain. Cassie looks helpless, and makes the first steps to go to his side. The others follow, crouching and surrounding him. Tobias holds his hand.

ALIEN (V.O.)  
They are called Yeerks.  
We Andalites fight the Yeerks  
wherever they infest the universe.   
They are different from us, from you.  
They are here on Earth. Many are here.

MARCO  
Oh, yeah? Why hasn’t anyone noticed them, then?  
You’d think they’d teach us these kinds of things in school!

ALIEN (V.O.)  
You fail to understand.  
They do not have bodies.  
They live in the host bodies of other species.  
They are--  
(beat)  
Odd. Your language does have a word for them.  
Yes, parasitic.

RACHEL  
You’re saying, these things are...  
have already...  
taken over people’s bodies?  
Human’s bodies?

JAKE  
No. This-- this is what you don’t understand!  
This is serious stuff!  
And we’re only kids.  
You know what that means, right?  
Kiiidsss. You shouldn’t tell us this,  
the government should be the ones--

ALIEN (V.O.)  
No. There is no time. I have been tracked  
and will soon be found, and... destroyed.  
I know you are young, but you must warn your people. I  
have a piece of Andalite technology. The Escafil device.  
We have never shared this technology,  
but your need is great.  
It allows you to change your bodies.  
To become a different species.

MARCO  
This is nuts! This whole thing is nuts.  
Spaceships and slugs taking over people's brains  
and the power to change into animals?

All four of the alien’s eyes track something in the sky, the kids turn to look. Two twin red lights move fast.

CASSIE  
That’s...it’s okay! It’s just an airplane!

ALIEN (V.O.)  
No. There is no time. You must decide.

CASSIE  
I’ll do it.

JAKE  
I think we all have to decide. Together.

They all look at one another, then nod seriously. The alien wheezes and points weakly to the circular door. Its multiple-fingered hand trembles.

ALIEN (V.O.)   
Inside. You will find the device.   
A small blue box, very plain.   
Bring it to me. Quickly!

Silently, everyone looks to Jake.

CASSIE   
Go ahead.   
You’re not scared, are you?   
(smiles at Jake)

He swallows nervously and approaches the circular door.

INT. ELFANGOR’S CRAFT - NIGHT

Jake ducks inside and hunches, too tall for the space. Thousands of blue and white lights glitter like stars. He spots the box. He picks it up, severely underestimates its heavy weight, gets pulled down by it, and nearly drops it. He sucks in a breath and lifts it again, huffing.

On his way out, a realistic hologram appears on the complex dashboard. Four miniature Andalites (two large, two small) wander or examine the dashboard, like living figurines. Jake GASPS and the hologram shivers away.

EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - NIGHT

Jake tries to not show he’s struggling with the weight of the box as he approaches.

JAKE   
Here it *huff* is.   
I, um... was that your family?   
Those holograms?

ALIEN (V.O.)   
Yes.

JAKE  
I’m real sorry.

ALIEN (V.O.)  
(beat)   
If you wish, I can   
give you abilities no other  
human being has ever had. 

TOBIAS   
We have to.

JAKE   
Yeah. We have no choice.

ALIEN (V.O.)   
Then each of you. Place your hands.

They all put their hands onto one face of the cube. It makes them shudder, and Jake giggles.

JAKE  
Whoooooa.

ALIEN (V.O.)  
Go! Now!

The alien yanks Tobias toward him, puts his hand to his forehead, then forcefully pushes him away. A red spotlight beams down from the sky onto the alien. Tobias stumbles and grimaces, gripping onto his head with both hands. Rachel hooks her arm into his and tugs him along with urgency.

RACHEL  
(hisses)  
Come on!

The kids scramble, run, and hide together behind a pile of rusted scaffolding. The new ships, cockroach-brown with mechanical pinchers touch down, delicate yet predatory.

MARCO  
(harsh whisper)  
Okay, you can wake me up now!  
I’ve had enough of this dream!

A ramp extends from the ship, and Cassie lets out an interrupted yelp, Jake clamps his hand over her mouth. Reptile creatures with curved horn-blades, beaked mouths, three-horned foreheads, lizard tails and dinosaur-like legs and feet step down. Tobias looks at them with wonder, he still holds the sides of his head.

TOBIAS  
(whispers)  
Hork-Bajir.

MARCO  
Baggy what? Those things look like walking  
Salad Shooters from Hell!

TOBIAS  
He showed me. Planted things in my head...

The next creature emerges from the ship. A enormous dark yellow centipede with the first third upright, lobster claw hands, a circular mouth with layers of shark teeth, and multiple gelatinous red eyes. Their movement is oscillation.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
Taxxons...

The two species march from the two ships, and form a ring around the injured alien and the damaged ship. Last to step from the ship, another blue centaur alien, red illuminates him from behind the door.

RACHEL  
What the--but that’s an Andalite too!

TOBIAS  
No...he--he’s only a host body to a Yeerk! His name-- Visser Three!

VISSER THREE swaggers up to the identical species crumpled to the ground.

VISSER THREE (V.O.)  
Well, well. What have we here?  
You’re no ordinary Andalite warrior.  
Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, if I am not mistaken?  
An honor to meet the one and only.  
How many of ours have you killed?  
Seven? Or was it eight?

ELFANGOR (V.O.)  
There will be others--

VISSER THREE (V.O.)  
Inevitably.  
But they will be too late.  
Billions of bodies!  
And too stupid to know what is happening.  
You have fought well and bravely.  
But you have lost.

Elfangor strikes, fast like a snake with his tail. Blue blood sprays from Visser Three. A white beam zaps out from the blue egg ship and slices a brown Bug ship, it pulls apart: glowing molten goo.

VISSER THREE (V.O.)  
Hold down the Andalite.

Three Hork-Bajir pin the injured and unfighting alien to the dirt. Visser Three’s skin begins to boil. His head bloats, arms splinter apart into waving tentacles. A mouth with long needle teeth splits open from the bulb head. The creature is mostly transparent, colorful blobs of inner organs visible through it, all beating and writhing.

CASSIE  
This isn’t real...this isn’t real...

One of multiple tentacles wraps around the Andalite’s neck, it dangles him in the air above the mouth chasm. Elfangor kicks and strikes with the scorpion tail, to no effect. The kids press close, holding hands and whimpering. Rachel covers Cassie’s eyes with her arm hooked around her. 

RACHEL  
Don’t look, Cassie.

Elfangor is dropped into the mouth, teeth spin like a blender. Dark blue blood fills the transparent mouth with a gurgling sound. Pieces of the body fall out of the vortex and the Taxxons desperately pounce on them from all directions to feed.

Marco keels over and PUKES. Several alien heads snap their direction.

JAKE  
Run!

The kids scatter. Jake trips and falls, and clambers to his feet, wheezing. Both knees are skinned. He escapes into a large pipe sewer opening, completely dark. One human with a flashlight and one Hork-Bajir pursue him.

HORK-BAJIR  
Efnud to tell fallay nyot fit? Whatever order.

CHAPMAN  
No. No need to capture them. Whoever you find, kill.  
Just save the heads for identification.

Jake wheezes and uses the wall to feel his way along the pipe in the darkness with trembling hands. He stumbles over something.

HOMELESS MAN  
Hey! Watch it!

A flashlight shines bright on HOMELESS MAN's sleepy bearded face, he squints in the light. Jake trips again and pinwheels his arms, running again. HOMELESS MAN’s fearful screams reverb through the pipe. The screaming cuts off abruptly, leaving faint echoes.

Jake runs, his feet splashing through puddles and his heavy breathing the only sounds.

TITLE CARD

CUT TO:

INT. JAKE’S BEDROOM - MORNING

Jake sleeps in his bed above the covers, face in a grimace. He has grime smeared on his face, and he sleeps with his clothes from last night and muddy basketball shoes on. JAKE’S MOM, a tall and thin brown-haired woman in her 40s, knocks on the door and slowly pushes it open.

JAKE’S MOM  
Jake? A friend of yours is here to see you.

She sits at the edge of his bed and smudges the streak of grime off of his cheek with her thumb.

JAKE’S MOM (CONT’D)  
Why did you fall asleep with all of your clothes on? Were you out late last night?

Jake wakes up groggily and sits up, and forces a smile.

JAKE  
Yeah, it was nothing. Just hanging out with Marco, I guess I lost track of time.

She gives him a worried smile and places her hand on the crown of his head. She pushes his bangs back, and his eyes droop in exhaustion.

JAKE’S MOM  
Okay. Just tell me if something is bothering you, okay?

JAKE  
Yeah, Mom, I’m...fine.

JAKE’S MOM  
Okay. I’ll go tell your friend you’re awake.

She stands up and gives him a sympathetic look, then goes back downstairs. Jake goes to the sink in his bathroom and runs the water, props up one knee and scrubs soap on the wound with a grimace. Tough kid. He splashes it off, the knee is bright pink with red scratches. He scrubs the other, trying not to cry out, and gingerly puts an extra large tan band-aid on both. He sits on his bed and falls back with a groan, exhausted. 

Tobias comes into Jake’s bedroom, immediately pouncing on him. The arm that previously had the cast is bare, the skin paler and hairs darker where it used to be. He grips his shoulders and shakes him, a large smile on his face.

JAKE  
Whoa, your cast! It’s gone!

TOBIAS  
I did it! Jake, I really did it! This is incredible!

Jake, still groggy and disoriented, waits until Tobias stops shaking him. Jake sits up and squints at him.

JAKE  
What are you...did what, Tobias?

TOBIAS  
I did it. I became Dude. My cast fell off, and--and when I changed back, my arm was healed! Completely healed!

Tobias stands up and begins pacing, touches the doorknob, swivels and touches the window sill. He goes back and forth, snapping his fingers as he paces.

JAKE  
Huh? Dude? You mean your...cat?

Tobias stopped in place and looked suspiciously around the room, like it were being monitored. He strides forward so that he can whisper. He hunches over secretively.

TOBIAS  
I had fur, Jake. I grew claws. Dude went nuts and he clawed me up pretty good, I had to stick him outside before I could morph all the way.

Tobias sticks a finger with a scratch mark on it in his mouth.

JAKE  
Morph...? Um, Tobias, is it possible that you just dreamed this up?

Tobias takes the finger out of his mouth with a small pop. He shakes that pointer finger at Jake, his voice quiet and serious.

TOBIAS  
Not a dream. No. It’s true, Jake. All of it.

Jake holds his head in his heads, slowly shaking his head from side to side.

TOBIAS  
(CONT’D) You think I’m crazy.

JAKE  
Let’s review the facts. You say you turned into your own pet cat. Turned into an actual cat. Yes, I have to say that sounds pretty crazy to me!

TOBIAS  
Last night wasn’t a dream, Jake. I’m telling you. It’s. Real.

JAKE  
Do you think I want to believe it? That Earth is being invaded by slimy slugs who live in people’s brains and turn them into slaves? Do I want to believe that you...that I can...duh! No! I don’t want to!

Tobias snaps his fingers and puts his hands flat in front of him in a “wait” gesture.

TOBIAS  
Just wait. I’m gonna show you. And don’t scream or anything, okay?

Tobias huffs and straightens up. He stands in the middle of the room, arms loose by his sides, and closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath. He shrinks in a fast motion, his clothing billows out and he is a hidden lump under a grey T-shirt. Jake scrambles away to shy into the wall by his bed, hugging his bandaged knees, frozen in place and staring at the lump.

JAKE  
Tobias! Tobias, are you...are you okay?!

An orange cat’s face peeps out from the cave of the shirt. Jake climbs down from his bed and kneels by the clothes, tilts his head curiously to one side. The cat takes a step out into the light, the grey shirt slides off of its back. Jake automatically extends his hand, and the cat head butts to pet itself against it.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
(numbly)  
I’m dreaming.

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
You’re not.

In one leap, the orange cat jumps onto the desk and knocks the green lava lamp off of the desk, it falls onto the carpet. It’s tail sweeps, and knocks down several He-man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures.

JAKE  
Are you...does that hurt?

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
No. But it feels like it should, maybe.   
Like that shot you get at the dentist’s before they drill a cavity.

JAKE  
I think I’m losing my mind, here. You’re saying...I can...do this, too?

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
Why don’t you try it for yourself?

The cat begins to change. Body horror: it looks horrific. The cat’s back splits open and exposes red muscles that burst out of a hunchback. Bones grow out in white spikes. Ropes of muscles wind around the bones. It creaks, gurgles, and joints pop. Bones scrape up against the skin internally. The sounds are disgusting.

It begins to look more human, and Tobias breathes heavily from a crouch. He pushes his jaw into a better alignment and chews a few times. Jake screams, but claps his hands over his mouth. His eyes flutter, his head bobs from dizziness. He looks near to fainting. Tobias dresses quickly, and shakes Jake by the shoulders.

TOBIAS  
Hey, are you okay?  
You didn't faint, did you?  
  
JAKE  
I...I dunno...maybe I did. Maybe I'm crazy.

TOBIAS  
This is top secret stuff. Like, Roswell level stuff! We have to be careful with this.

Jake, white in the face, breathes in quick bursts. His eyes flit over Tobias, his hands curl into fists. Tobias looks seriously at him, and nods his head slowly.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
It’s. Real.

JAKE  
Well.  
(beat)  
I guess I better find Homer.

CUT TO:

INT. JAKE'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

The two boys kneel and pet an excited, wagging golden retriever. The dog happily licks Jake’s fingers. Tobias scratches the dog on the head and ears.

TOBIAS  
(coach-like)  
Concentrate. Just think about what it would be like to be him.

Jake groans, and holds the dog’s cheeks between his hands. The dog’s tail whips happily, and he licks Jake’s face.

JAKE  
I’m trying! This is pretty hard, okay?

Tobias watches intently. Jake closes his eyes and brings his head forward, resting it on Homer’s forehead. He takes a deep breath. He puts his nose to the dogs, and gets a wet kiss.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
Okay, Homer. Good boy.

The dog relaxes, sits down on his back legs first and lies down on the ground, his head dips down and he rests his head over his front paws.

TOBIAS  
I think you did it! He’s gone into the trance now. When you acquire them, they get all calm like that. Same thing happened with Dude.

A moment later, the dog pops back up with the same energy as before. He lets out a quiet woof and nudges Jake’s stomach with his nose. Jakes takes him by the collar and puts him outside, then closes and locks the door. Tobias nods at him, he still sits on the floor.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
Give it a try.

Jake closes his eyes for a brief moment. He scares himself, and his eyes snaps open.

JAKE  
Bow wow, haha. Guess it doesn’t work on me.

Tobias points to him.

TOBIAS  
It is. Just look.

Jake stares at his hand and jolts. It has yellow fur on it.

JAKE  
Oh! Ohhhh, no!

TOBIAS  
Don’t get scared. You’ve stopped it. Just concentrate.

JAKE  
I don’t want to do this, I-I don’t have to!

TOBIAS  
(sarcastic)  
Yeah, you’re right! Just forget everything. We can just ignore it when the Yeerks take over more and more people. People we know! We can just go along with it and grow up in a world where human beings are only bodies for gross slug aliens!  
(beat)  
Come on!

Jake muffles a scared whimper and curls onto the floor, squeezing his eyes shut through the transformation. The dog whimpers, caught in the clothing. Tobias guides him out of the tangle of clothing. The dog wags his tail and licks Tobias’ hand. The dog suddenly gets alert and bounds to the window, barking loudly at the identical dog in the yard.

JAKE (V.O.)  
Intruder!!! In my yard!

TOBIAS  
You have to get a grip! This is the dog part of your brain now. You have to deal with it!

Tobias kneels down and tips the dog’s face away from the window.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
You’re Jake, a human kid. Remember?

The dog whimpers, lowers his head, and his tail goes between his back legs.

JAKE (V.O.)  
Okay. I remember.

The doorknob twists and both of them whip their heads to look at it. TOM, 16, wears a black Band hoodie and black jeans. He looks very similar to Jake but has black hair and acne. He seems like the archetype of an angsty teenager.

TOM  
Jake, Mom’s on the phone, stop Homer’s yapping-- Who are you?

Tobias struggles to hold back the large dog from approaching and sniffing Tom, since the dog has no collar.

TOBIAS  
I’m a friend of Jake’s. Tobias.

TOM  
Well, where is he?

TOBIAS  
He’s...

He looks to the dog he’s keeping restrained in his arms. The dog meets his eyes and gives a half-hearted wag of his tail.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
Um, around.

TOM  
Okaaay. Bad dog! Quiet! Bad boy.

Tom slams the door when he leaves. The dog looks sad and whimpers, resting his chin on the floor. Tobias stares at the door quizzically. He absent-mindedly scratches an ear.

CUT TO:

INT. JAKE’S KITCHEN - DAY

Jake uses the coiled phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen. He keeps the receiver pressed flush against his face, and nervously twirls the cord in one finger.

JAKE  
Are you sure you want to meet at--  
I’m just saying, how come we never hang  
at your house anymore, man? I mean, okay--

The front screen bangs shut loudly, and Tom comes into the kitchen.  We hear ROCK MUSIC leak from his headset connected to a CD walkman. He tugs the headphones to rest around his neck and pauses the disk.

TOM  
Oh. There you are.

JAKE  
Uh, Marco? I’ll just, um, see you soon.

Tom pulls out and straddles a dining table chair. Jake hangs up the phone. He looks at Tom and hangs his head in shame. He twists his fingers.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
Tom, I...uh, I didn’t make the team.

Tom looks confused, and wrinkles up his nose.

TOM  
What team?

JAKE  
What do you mean? The basketball team, Tom. Your old team?

TOM  
Oh. Too bad.

JAKE  
Too...too bad?!

TOM  
(shrugs)  
It’s just sports. I quit the team anyway.

Jake’s eyes widen, and he slaps his hand to his forehead in disbelief.

JAKE  
You quit the team? But you never told me! What’s the deal?

TOM  
There’s better things to do than put a ball through a hoop, Jake. We do way cooler stuff at The Sharing. You should join up. Maybe we could spend more time together if you did.

Jake stares at Tom, and Tom stares sullenly back. His face twitches suddenly, and he looks scared. Jake squints, and in a very subtle way Tom’s head rotates slowly from one side to another in a shake. Jake recoils, spins and runs out of the house. Jake gets his rusting red bicycle from the dim garage, and hits the button to open it. It begins to open noisily, and while he walks his bike down the driveway he bites his lips and his eyebrows draw down over his eyes. He takes hefty strides, and then hops onto the seat and speeds down the street with desperate pumps.

CUT TO:

EXT. BLOCKBUSTER - DAY

Jake chains up his bike on the rack out front, then goes inside the video rental store. He huffs out his breaths and struggles to pull open the door, then steps inside. Marco browses the shelves.

MARCO  
Jake! Come check this out. Cassie spotted it. They said what happened last night was just teens setting off fireworks!

Jake comes closer and takes the newspaper Marco offers him into his hands.

JAKE  
It says they found fireworks at the scene? But...why would the police lie?

MARCO  
Let’s think, Captain Brilliant, maybe because the cops are being controlled too?

JAKE  
But if they’re in the cops...what about teachers, people in the government...do you think they’re controlling the newspapers and TV, too?

Marco looks back and forth, suddenly paranoid. He puts a VHS (Star Trek: First Contact, 1996) back on the shelf and begins to lead Jake away.

MARCO  
Come on, we shouldn’t talk about this here. You know what, we shouldn’t talk about this at all!

Jake stops him very easily, and towers over his friend. His voice trembles.

JAKE  
(frowns)  
Marco... it’s real. All of it.

Marco knocks a few things off of the shelf when he ducks under Jake’s arm to escape him blocking his path. Jake spins around, his arm shoots out and grabs Marco by the upper arm.

MARCO  
This is stupid! Of course it’s not real!

JAKE  
Marco, you’re my best friend. I’d never lie to you.   
Tobias did it first. He showed me how, I--

MARCO  
No, no! This is...why should we have to deal with this mess?!  
I vote we forget all of this.   
We never morph, we just live our lives! Like normal!

Jake sighs and lets go of his bicep. His arms hang at his sides limply, and his back sags in defeat.

JAKE  
Well, the thing is...

MARCO  
We could get killed! You saw what   
happened to the Andalite-- this is radical stuff!   
This is for real! Real! We could all get killed!

Marco makes a B-line for the door, and Jake scrambles after him.

JAKE  
Marco, wait!

The scanner begins to beep loudly, and an employee perks up behind the check out corner. Marco defensively throws up his open palms and backs out of the door.

MARCO  
I’m not stealing anything, okay?! You need to fix this piece of crap, stupid machine!

Marco kicks the scanner, and it stops beeping. Jake catches up to him, he sits on the cement curb with his head in his hands. Jake silently sits right next to him.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
Look, if something happened to me, my dad...he...

Marco trails off and crosses his arms, setting his mouth in a line.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
Call me chicken, fine. But I can’t get killed, I can’t do that to my dad. Not this soon after Mom.

Jake glances back to the store, then back at Marco. He raises his eyebrows.

JAKE  
Did you...?

Marco sheepishly produces a video game CD “Dead Zone 5” from his inner coat pocket shamefully. His cheeks flush pinker.

MARCO  
I don’t have the money right now, Jake. You know that. I--just spare me the lecture, okay?

Jake puts his arm around him. They stand up and Jake unlocks and walks his bike, and the two walk down the street side-by-side.

CUT TO:

INT. JAKE’S TV ROOM - DAY

Marco and Jake sit on the floor and play a video game, both hold joysticks. The screen flashes “Winner!” Marco cries out triumphantly and punches Jake on the shoulder, he smiles and rubs it.

TOM  
Hey, guys. Can I give that a try?

Marco and Jake jump, not expecting him.

MARCO  
(guarded)  
Uh, sure, Tom.

He hands him the controller, but Tom only looks to Jake and not the screen.

TOM  
Did you hear stuff about the fireworks last night? At the construction site?

MARCO  
No. What stuff?

TOM  
I saw it in the newspaper. Rowdy kids shooting off   
fireworks or something, but some moron neighbors  
said it was a UFO. Hey, Jake, Marco,  
you were out at the mall last night, right?

Jake keeps his eyes glued to the screen. Marco looks between the two of them, his expression grim.

JAKE  
Uh-huh.

TOM  
You cut through the construction site?

JAKE  
No way. Too dangerous.

Jake grits his teeth and jerks at the joystick, pretending to be immersed. Tom only holds his. His character continues to take a beating. The HP bar sinks lower quickly.

TOM  
You didn’t say anyone hanging around there?

JAKE  
Nope.

TOM  
Alright, then. Not like I’d tattle. I think it’s cool.   
You know Jake, I think you’d have a really fun time   
at the Sharing. I know you only see him   
when he’s working, but Principle Chapman is actually pretty cool.   
You should join too, Marco. There’s a meeting tonight.

HP approaches red, then depletes. Tom shoves the joystick from his lap and stands up. Game says an enthusiastic: “K.O!”

TOM (CONT’D)  
And just let me know if you hear anything about those fireworks, yeah?

He leaves and the boys stare at one another for a moment, the game character dying in the background with exaggerated groans of pain.

MARCO  
(long pause)  
He’s one of them.

JAKE  
What?

MARCO  
Tom. He’s a Controller.

Jake shoves the joystick from his lap and swings at Marco, and gets him in the head. Marco ducks under the next one, and trips him in a tackle. He sits on him, and Jake struggles.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
Listen!

Jake flails and punches at the floor.

JAKE  
(hysteric)  
You take that back! Take it back, Marco!

MARCO  
Why is he so interested in the construction site then, huh? I’ll let you up only when you calm down!

Jake stops struggling and the two stand up, facing off against one another. Their height difference is striking.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
Look, maybe I’m wrong! I hope I’m wrong, but...it doesn’t look good.

JAKE  
Tom isn’t one of them! That’s final!

MARCO  
Whatever. Don’t punch me again, cause then I’ll have to hit you back.

Marco rubs the side of his head he hit, and scowls. Jake looks guilty, dips his head, and scrubs at the back of his neck.

JAKE  
Do you want an ice pack or something?

MARCO  
Yeah, maybe.

CUT TO:

INT. JAKE’S KITCHEN - DAY

Marco holds an ice pack to the side of his head and happily munches away at a snack. Jake jumps when there is a TAP at the window. He inspects the flower box, a large bird sits in it and twists its head at him quizzically.

MARCO  
Whoa, an eagle!

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
I’m a red-tailed hawk, actually. Well, are you going to let me in or not?

Jake opens the windowsill, pops out the screen, and the large bird hops into the room. He takes flight inside, whacking a few things over as it rushes up into the bedroom upstairs. Marco and Jake scramble upstairs just in time to see the ending of the transformation.

MARCO  
Yeesh! Well, that's downright disgusting!

Tobias sits at the end of the bed.

TOBIAS  
I haven’t figured out how to morph clothes yet,   
Cassie already has. She's nursing a hawk back  
to health right now, that's where I got this morph.   
Can I borrow some clothes?

He pulls on oversized pants and a Quicksilver hoodie, smiling.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
It was the coolest thing ever, flying on the thermals. I was looking for something that might be a Yeerk pool.

Jake and Marco exchange glances, and Jake shrugs.

MARCO  
Okay, Alien Teacher’s Pet, want to let us in on what’s going on?

Tobias rolls up the baggy sleeves and smiles shyly.

TOBIAS  
Sorry. I keep forgetting that he kind of...put some stuff into my head.

They roll out a large piece of sketch paper, and dump out a cup of stubby crayons and capless Crayola markers. Tobias hunches over the paper and begins to draw wildly.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
Every three days the alien has to leave its host body and go into the Yeerk pool to soak up nutrients. Just like us, their energy all comes from the sun. They just have a different sun from us, that emits different rays. That sun is called a Kandrona, and they have a portable version that they brought here on the Mothership.

Tobias draws a large circle and scribbles it in red, then draws a very small yellow circle next to it. Next to each sun, he draws a scribble for a different frequency.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
See what I mean?

MARCO  
Yeah, kinda. But don’t go comparing us to...them, okay?

Tobias sticks his tongue out to concentrate and begins to draw something else. A perfect circle, with spirals leading into a smaller inner circle. Tobias points to different parts of the map.

TOBIAS  
Here, is the pool. All these points are access points, and these lines, the staircases that lead down into it. And when we find it...we blow it up and kill every one of those evil slugs.

They all meet one another’s eyes as they lean secretively over the drawing paper.

MARCO  
Okay, well this is all just hunky-dory, but are we forgetting that we actually need to find this thing first?

Jake taps at one of the lines, and traces it out to its entrance point on the larger circle.

JAKE  
I think I know. The Sharing. It’s just a meeting, right?

Tobias twists his head to one side in a bird-like gesture.

TOBIAS  
What’s that?

MARCO  
We think his brother might be one of them, a Controller. And he keeps trying to get us to join that thing!

Jake shoots him a warning glance and Marco throws his hands up defensively.

JAKE  
I know this, at least. Tom said Principle Chapman runs the club, so we should see if he is really a host, and if the thing goes into the Pool.

TOBIAS  
Okay. Then, maybe one of us goes to his office.

MARCO  
I know I’m not really into this whole morphing thing, but...why go to his office, when we can spy on his office?

The boys review over the map with the red and yellow suns, and the circle-within-a-circle diagram of the Yeerk Pool.

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. BOY’S GYM LOCKER ROOM - DAY

The clock on the wall ticks another minute. Jake double-checks to make sure he’s alone, then huffs. He does a few jumps and rolls his shoulders to loosen them. He whispers to himself.

JAKE  
Okay, Jake. Okayokay. You got this.

He closes his eyes and crouches to the floor, crying out when he hears the crunches, pops, and squelching. His red T-shirt billows like a collapsing circus tent. The pile of clothes settles to the floor, and out of the sleeve a small green lizard sprints across the floor and wriggles into a crack. The lizard stays still, ribs flaring in and out. It blinks, then begins to venture out unsteadily.

It begins to waddle along the floor, wriggling under the closed door and into the vast expanse of the hallway. It stops, then when a rumbling pair of shoes begins to walk it follows.

A large spider scuttles along the floor. It looks at the lizard with its multiple eyes. At this magnification, it’s hairy, eyes shiny, pinchers snapping. With a quick strike, the lizard eats it whole.

JAKE (V.O.) (CONT’D)  
Aaaaaahhhhh! Ahhhhh!!!! TOBIAS!

A hawk flutters and perches in a window above the lines of red lockers.

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
Jake? Did the morph go okay? What’s wrong?

The lizard continues to swallow several times, the spider kicks from inside and it pulses out in the lizard’s throat.

JAKE (V.O.)  
I’m...I’m eating a spider! A live spider! Tobias help, I don’t want to do this anymore!

TOBIAS  
Follow Chapman! Forget the spider, just follow Chapman!

The lizard pauses, then continues to scurry and follow the shoes. There’s one last pulse in its throat. CHAPMAN, a mid-30s man in a tweed jacket, opens the Janitor’s closet, and twists both silver handles in the filthy sink. The false back wall slides into the side of the wall, and a stairwell is revealed. It is dark and glows a dim red. The faint sound of screams come from it.

CUT TO:

INT. BOY'S BATHROOM - DAY

Jake pukes into the toilet. Tobias and Marco crouch next to him, and Marco pats his back.

MARCO  
That spider probably would have been better with some barbecue sauce, huh?

Jake heaves again, retching loudly. Tobias paces from the wall to the stall door and back.

TOBIAS  
This whole time, it was right under our feet.

MARCO  
No wonder I’ve always felt like this place is evil.

Tobias stops pacing and frowns.

TOBIAS  
Not funny, Marco.

MARCO  
Who said I was joking?

The bathroom door slams open, and Jake finally looks up from the toilet.

BOY #1 (O.S.)  
Hey, girls can’t be in here!

RACHEL (O.S.)  
Oh, bug off!

Rachel knocks crisply on the stall, and Tobias opens it for her. She rushes in and latches it behind her. She wears several butterfly clips in her hair, a few strands are crimped. She wears a Yin Yang pendant, a plaid skirt, Jelly shoes, and a sweater tied around her waist.

RACHEL (CONT’D)  
What’s all of this about Jake eating a spider?

Jake swipes at his chin and his hands shake, gripping the sides of the toilet.

JAKE  
Screams. Human screams. Even though I was a lizard,   
I know what I heard down there. I’m not asking anyone else to go with me,   
but I know Tom is going to be down there tonight.   
He’s my brother. I have to try and save him.

Rachel has to steady herself on the wall.

RACHEL  
Oh, Jake...Tom’s one of them?

Jake unsteadily gets to his feet. He meets Rachel’s eyes and nods solemnly.

JAKE  
I didn’t want it to be true. There’s a lot I don’t want to be true.   
But when I turned into Homer, I smelled something weird about him. And he...   
he warned me. When he told me to join the Sharing,   
the real Tom. I saw him. He shook his head to warn me.

TOBIAS  
I’ll go down there with you. For the Andalite.

RACHEL  
No one else can stop them, just like that alien said.   
We’re the only humans with this technology. If you know where these   
parasites have a gathering place, I’m scared  
to death thinking about it, but...yeah. I’m there.

BOY #2  
Hey, is there a girl in here?

Rachel cups her hand over her mouth.

RACHEL  
How about you mind your own business!

Marco avoids Jake’s eyes.

MARCO  
This is so bad. If it weren’t for Tom--

JAKE  
Look, you don’t have to--

MARCO  
Shut up! You’re my best friend, you moron.  
I’m not going to let you face this by yourself.   
I’m in. Just for Tom. Then I’m walking away, from all of this.

Jake nods, and swipes at his mouth again with his sleeve.

JAKE  
Okay. We get Tom out. Since he already knows about the Yeerks,  
when we free him he can help us.   
He’s sixteen, so I know he’ll know what to do about all of this.

RACHEL  
If we’re going up against something like this,   
then we’re gonna need firepower.   
I think I know where to get it, too.

Another knock comes on the stall door, and Rachel turns around to open it. Cassie comes into the stall, and frowns to see the state that Jake is in.

MARCO  
(to Cassie)  
So long story, he morphed a lizard and   
found the entrance to the Yeerk Pool by following the principal.  
Short story--he ate a live spider.

Cassie’s hands cover her mouth.

CASSIE  
You look awful! Are you feeling okay?

Jake looks more embarrassed than anything else.

JAKE  
Yeah. I’m okay. Uh, I feel better already.  
(beat)  
Come on, let’s get out of here--the last thing we need is to get called into Chapman’s office.

They file out of the bathroom, and stand as a group outside.

CASSIE  
We have a lot we need to figure out. Let’s meet at my place after school? No offense, but I think people will notice if we all start hanging out at school.

They all walk separate directions, and Marco jabs Jake in the ribs.

MARCO  
She said you looked awful!

JAKE  
Shut. Up!

CUT TO:

EXT. CASSIE'S BARN - DAY

Marco, Tobias, Jake and Rachel wait outside of a red barn near a vast grass field.

MARCO  
Where is she? We’ve been waiting out here forever!

RACHEL  
Oh, relax. You just got here. Look, here she is now!

A black horse runs quickly toward the barn. Mid-run, it begins to shrink and become Cassie, wearing a bright purple tie-dye one piece bathing suit with skin-tight biking shorts on the bottom. She whoops happily and jogs up to the group.

RACHEL (CONT’D)  
(claps) Bravo, Cassie!

MARCO  
Wow, you’re so good at it! When Tobias did it, he looked like that dude in 'The Fly'.

JAKE  
How did you do that? Cassie unlocks and pulls open one side of the barn doors.

CASSIE  
I don’t know, it’s not like I’ve had more practice or anything! It just...happens?

They file into the barn. There are several cages and a refrigerator. There’s only the sounds of animals snuffling or scratching in the cages.

TOBIAS  
Okay, let’s get down to business.

Tobias rolls out the diagram he drew earlier as if it were a scroll, and different hands hold down each curling corner.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
Once we’re down in the Yeerk pool, we’ll have to figure out its weak spots.

He looks up and meets his friend’s eyes, and taps at one of the lines.

TOBIAS (CONT’D)  
We know that one of these has to lead down from the Janitor’s closet. So, we’ll go down inside. I--

Cassie frowns and touches his shoulder.

CASSIE  
You should tell them, Tobias. It's about time everyone knows.

TOBIAS  
Guys, this technology has...limits. I’m sorry I didn’t say earlier. Elfangor showed me so much, it’s getting blurry what everyone or just me knows.

JAKE  
Is there a limit to how many animals we can acquire? Like that?

TOBIAS  
No, at least...well, I don’t know. But a morph has a time limit. Two hours.

JAKE  
Two hours. And if you go over that?

TOBIAS  
You’re stuck in that morph. Forever. You lose the power to morph, too. They even have a word for it. Nothlit.

The five of them crouch over the diagram, very serious. Rachel nods.

RACHEL  
Two hours. Okay, that throws a serious wrench, but we can make that work. We have to.

Tobias shrugs.

MARCO  
It’s kind of like how this piece of plastic can contain a whole video game, it’s like magic. But you still have to blow into the cartridge sometimes. Every technology has its limits, I guess.

RACHEL  
And it only seems like magic, because with tech this advanced, we can’t even fully understand it.

Rachel stands up and begins to pace, playing with her shell necklace with faint clinks.

RACHEL (CONT’D)  
If this technology works with any kind of animal, we should sneak into the Zoo. Sorry Tobias and Jake, but dogs and cats aren’t going to do much for us.

JAKE  
Cassie, your parents work there, right? Do you think you can get us in?

Cassie nods enthusiastically.

CASSIE  
I’m allowed in free. I used to go all the time, when I was little.  
But if I use my mom’s employee discount, it won’t be too expensive for you guys.

Marco laughs.

MARCO  
I’m the only one who hasn’t morphed yet,   
I can’t believe you guys! Don’t you get it--we can sneak in anywhere we want!  
 The zoo, the movies, Six Flags?!   
The opportunities are endless!

Cassie shoots him a glance.

CASSIE  
Admission costs money for a reason, Marco! Are you forgetting that’s where my parents work?

Marco shrugs defensively.

MARCO  
I’m just saying! If we can do a crazy thing like morph, we should be thinking like animal morphers!

Marco taps the side of his head.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
Duh! Are we Animorphs, or what?

Jake looks at Marco and smiles.

JAKE  
Huh...you know, you might be on to something, Marco.

CASSIE  
Look-- we keep our morals about us. That’s final. Everyone agree?

CUT TO:

INT. CITY BUS - AFTERNOON

The five of them sit together on a city bus. The light is orange, almost dusk. Jake crams on homework in his lap. He borrows Rachel’s, written in cursive and in a Lisa Frank notebook. Behind him are two advertisements for Microsoft personal computers and Dep styling mousse.

 

Tobias’ is a black and white composition, most of the notes have drawings of the town seen from bird’s eye view. Some ruler lines show he’s trying to learn perspective lines. Rachel scribbles notes in a pink composition with a pen with a fluffy white featherball on top. Marco counts their rumpled bills. He seems sour about no one going along with his sneaking in plan.

MARCO  
(bitter)  
We’re short a couple bucks.

TOBIAS  
I can hang back. I’m happy with my hawk morph, I don’t want to be anything else.

RACHEL  
You should come with us. You heard him-- our only real weapon is the power to morph. We should collect as many useful ones as we can.

JAKE  
You’re mostly right, but there’s no animal on Earth that could work against the...thing Visser Three turned into when he...ate--

RACHEL  
I know that. But we can find ways to use this technology as best as we can.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE ZOO - AFTERNOON

They all pile one after another off of the bus. Marco clutches the money in one hand, and when they get to the turn style he very reluctantly hands it over. The person doesn’t seem to care they don’t have enough. The kids get stamps on their hands by an fake-enthusiastic employee in a Safari cap who patronizes them.

ZOO EMPLOYEE  
(I-hate-my-job happy)  
Have a zoo-tastic day!

Marco squints and then sticks his tongue out at her when she is turned away. They meet on the other side.

CASSIE  
Okay, everyone stay together and follow me. Try to not look suspicious, we’re going inside, behind all these exhibits.

MARCO  
And if they catch us?

CASSIE  
Just say we’re here to see my mom. She won’t be here. I hope, because if she finds out I brought my friends back here...I can’t save the world from alien invaders if I’m grounded.

They follow her through a doorway, and enter a dim hallway. Inside, only plain doors with numbers on each.

MARCO  
Great. How are we supposed to tell where anything is around here?

CASSIE  
Just stick with me. How do you guys feel about gorillas? Marco, haven’t you always wanted to be a big, hairy guy?

Marco crosses his arms and looks away.

JAKE  
No, I think he should try something easier for his first morph. Like a cuddly little koala, or something.

MARCO  
Cuddly koala? I’ll show you cuddly. Open that door, Cassie.

Cassie grins at Jake and slings off her backpack, reaching inside and giving Marco an apple.

CASSIE  
Gorillas are gentle. So don’t worry.

She curls the apple into his hand. Marco stares at it, nodding to himself with a tight but determined frown. Cassie opens the door, and Marco steps into the habitat while the kids crowd around the doorway and watch. The gorilla comes closer, holding out his hand for the apple.

MARCO  
(whispers, clearly scared)  
I loved your work in King Kong versus Godzilla.

Marco’s hand shakes where he hands him the apple.

CASSIE  
You have to touch him for it to work. It’s okay, he’ll get sleepy for a few seconds.

Marco grits his teeth and touches one finger to the gorilla’s wrist. He closes his eyes, teeth chattering.

TOBIAS  
Whoa, this is cool! The arms on that thing, he could tear Marco apart like a paper doll!

Marco squints open one eye and hisses at him.

MARCO  
Newsflash, being terrified gets in the way of concentrating, so shut up about his arms!

We hear a golf cart approaching, and the kids wave madly at Marco to come back out of the exhibit.

SECURITY GUARD  
Hey, you! What are you kids doing back here?

Jake beckons wildly at Marco, who tumbles through the fake underbrush. Jake grabs his arm as soon as he’s able and yanks him out.

JAKE  
Split up! They can’t catch all of us!

Jake pulls Marco along by the arm, until Marco tugs him a different way.

MARCO  
Let’s grab the golf cart!

Jake stumbles at the change in direction, they hop into the front seat. Marco turns the ignition.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
Just like bumper cars, right?

JAKE  
Yeah, only try not to hit anything!

They ram into the wall first, then back out and veer from side to side down the hallway. The guard still runs after them.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
Go right, right!

Marco jerks left and Jake tumbles and almost falls out of the cart at the movement that squeals the tires. Marco floors it, gripping tight onto the steering wheel. He turns sharply again down another hallway, and they both tumble out. More security joined into a group, and the boys look at one another.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
Get inside this door, come on!

They quickly slip behind a random numbered door, breathing hard and leaning against it.

INT. TIGER EXHBIT - AFTERNOON

MARCO  
Where are we?

JAKE  
Like I know?

MARCO  
Um, Jake?   
(points)  
That’s a real high wall.   
Like, thirty feet. It’s gotta be that high for a reason.

Marco’s mouth falls open as he looks over Jake’s shoulder, his eyes large and darting. He whispers.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
_Dios mío._

Jake looks behind him, and sees a tiger’s face partially hidden in the brush, yellow eyes locked on them.

MARCO (CONT’D)  
So, um, I have an idea. Let’s get the hell out of here!

JAKE  
(through teeth)  
We can’t run, or he’ll attack.

MARCO  
He’s looking right at us! Look at those teeth!

JAKE  
Look, I’ll just acquire him, okay? He’ll get sleepy, remember?

Jake gets onto his hands and knees, and reaches out with one trembling hand. The tiger’s eyes follow him as he touches his side. Jake closes his eyes, and the tiger does at the same time.

MARCO  
(harsh whisper)  
Okay, now how long does this thing last?

JAKE  
(quietly)  
Uhhh, about ten seconds.

MARCO  
Ten seconds? Ten seconds?!

JAKE  
Yeah. So be ready to run.

MARCO  
I’ve been ready to run!

Jake take his hand away and wraps it around Marco’s bicep.

JAKE  
Now!

They sprint, Jake yanks and pulls his shorter friend. He lets him onto the ladder first. They scramble up a ladder, and at the top everyone watches them emerge with wide eyes.

MARCO  
Gogogo!

They continue to sprint through the zoo, finally slowing down near the entrance, breathing hard. Jake puts his hands on his knees, Marco puts his hands on top of his head. Rachel, Tobias, and Cassie are already there waiting. Rachel eats a pink cotton candy. Jake struggles to breathe to explain himself.

JAKE  
We, *huff*, just *huff*, outran the tigers.

MARCO  
We could have been killed! Really, I’m telling you!

RACHEL  
Yeah, right. Quit playing around.

MARCO  
I’m serious! Jake acquired it!

Rachel looks up from her cotton candy and grins.

RACHEL  
No way, for real? Talk about firepower! Good one, couz! We need everything we can get for tonight.

CASSIE  
Tonight...and I haven’t even thought about my math test tomorrow.

RACHEL  
We might not have to worry about tomorrow.

MARCO  
Thank you, Little Miss Cheerful.

COP  
Hey, you two! Freeze!

The all freeze and stare as a cop in uniform jogs over to them.

COP (CONT’D)  
Now, what’s all this about some kids coming out of one of the enclosures? Which one of you was it?

They pause for a moment then Cassie steps forward, Jake tries to stop her but she brushes his hand off of her shoulder.

CASSIE  
It was me. It was my fault. My mom works here, I thought, I...

COP  
Come with me. I need to get your parents on the phone.

The others look guilty as she’s lead away.

CASSIE  
(mouths)  
Go. Save Tom.

CUT TO:

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL - NIGHT

Marco and Rachel wait outside the darkened school. Jake hides his red bike across the street, and puts a leafy branch over it.

JAKE  
Cassie’s still missing. Where’s Tobias?

Rachel points to the sky, a hawk circles.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
What’s the matter with him? We only have two hours, we don’t know how long this is going to take!

RACHEL  
Tobias said he can see a watch face from the air. And...I’m sure Cassie is fine. Her parents probably grounded her after today, or maybe there was an emergency with an animal back at her place. Come on, let’s do this. Tick tock. (she taps on her Baby G gummy pink watch)

Jake opens a window into a classroom. He lets Marco step on his propped leg to climb in through the window. Three of them hit the ground in a darkened chemistry lab classroom, and hang by the doorway and watch others go into the Janitor’s closet.

MARCO  
I guess it’s dinner time.

JAKE  
How do we get inside?

RACHEL  
Wait a minute. They probably don’t know all other Controllers just by sight, right? We could just be new recruits!

JAKE  
It’s a risk. A big risk. But I think it’s all we’ve got, for now.

They leave the classroom and all press tightly to one another as they walk closer to the supply closet. Jake turns both hot and cold faucets at the same time, and the false wall slides away. The screams below sound hollow.

MARCO  
If I see a guy with horns and a pitchfork, I am outta here.

They link arms and descend down large, carved stone stairs with no handrail. The stairwell opens to a large, perfectly spherical cavern. Other staircases radiate out and up, and the circular silver lake in the middle glows a faint red. There are cages with metal bars built into the terraced sides, with humans inside.

RACHEL  
This is huge--this isn’t just under the school. This is under half of the town!

MARCO  
We need to turn back. We need to plan this out! This is bigger than what we thought we signed up for. Wayyy bigger!

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
Uhh, guys? Bad news. Really bad news. They have Cassie.  
That cop must have been a Controller.  
They’re leading her down to the Pool for infestation!

Rachel’s hands clasp over her mouth, nearly in tears.

JAKE  
Can you see Tom, too?

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
I see him. He’s in one of the cages.

Jake unlinks from the two, hands knotting in his hair. He grimaces and lets his hands cover his face.

JAKE  
Urrghh...okay. New plan. Tobias, Marco, you two rescue Cassie. Rachel and I will take Tom, since he’s family.

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
Yeah. Good. Roger.

Marco grabs Jake and draws him into a tight hug. Jake squeezes him back. Marco hisses in his ear.

MARCO  
Look, before we do this, there’s one thing you have to promise me. If I have to die, that’s okay. But don’t let them take me. Don’t let them put one of those things in my head.

They separate and Jake hold’s Marco’s shoulders.

JAKE  
Okay, Marco. I promise.

Marco very loudly gathers saliva from the back of his throat, and hocks the spit into his palm. Jake does the same, but quieter. They wince as they slap their hands together in a pact. A man with one Taxxon and one Hork-Bajir at either side points at them.

CONTROLLER 1  
You! You three. Who are you?

MARCO  
U-us? Who are we? Hey, who are you?

CONTROLLER 1  
Take them.

Behind Marco and Jake, a fleshy beige-and-grey mass boils and bulges. Ivory tusks sprout out, and a waving trunk.

RACHEL (V.O.)  
Hah! I did it!

The elephant charges, tossing its head. The alien crunches as she tramples it, yellow goo gathers from the broken insect shell. Jake and Marco cup their hands over their mouths at the smell.

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
There’s more coming. It’s time!

Jake crouches and goes through a grotesque transformation into a tiger. It pounces and slashes, and gets torn open by the others. A gorilla yanks open the cage and bends the iron, and Tom stumbles out.

RACHEL (V.O.)  
Jake, Cassie’s next!

The tiger hesitates, eyeing Tom and then Cassie.

MARCO (V.O.)  
We’ll take care of Tom. Go, before they put her head in the pool!

Jake turns and sprints toward the pier. He tackles the first person with a snarl, and a hawk drops like a bullet from the upper part of the cavern, SCREECHING and dive bombing the other person who holds Cassie. She shoves herself away, and begins to sprint, transforming into a black horse on the way.

JAKE (V.O.)  
Run! Back up the stairs! Rachel, morph back!

Five humans and two Hork-Bajir run with them. The quickly moving group keeps getting picked off from the outside, until it’s only a small group of animals and humans running together.

TOM  
No! You aren’t going to win this time!

Tom tries to attack one of the aliens who stands in his way with his fists. It throws off his balance.

JAKE (V.O.)  
Tom--!

Tom falls off the edge of the staircase. The tiger tries to catch him, but doesn’t. It snarls and attacks the enemies surrounding them with vigor, getting sliced and bleeding himself in the process. A crazed laughter reverbs through their heads.

VISSER THREE (V.O.)  
I’ll kill you, Andalites. You can run for now, but I will kill you all.

They burst into the darkened school hallway, a spray of red blood peppers the white floor as Jake, heavily injured, bursts forth.

CASSIE (V.O.)  
Secure the door!

The gorilla tips over a shelf full of supplies, and bends the metal in the shelf as a barricade. Jake demorphs in the hallway, lying on the tile in his own blood. Red smears over his face, tear tracks cut through it. He sobs, hiccups and hyperventilates, lying flat on his back. The gorilla smashes the fire box.

The alarm SHRIEKS and white emergency lights flash from the ceiling. Cassie, clothed in green patterned leggings and a purple stretch top pulls out the thick grey fire blanket from the box. Cassie lifts Jake by the back off the floor, out of the puddle of blood and wraps him into the fire blanket. She holds him tightly to her chest, keeping the blanket on him. He shivers. She whispers in his ear.

CASSIE  
We’ll get him back. We will.

Jake cries into her shoulder, shaking.

CUT TO:

INT. JAKE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Jake lays paralyzed in his bed in PJs. He stares up at the ceiling, trembling and letting out shortened breaths. He jerks his head to the door when he hears footsteps in the hall. His wide eyes roll in terror. He scrambles under his bed and stares at the slats on the underside. His breaths shake as he tries to control his breathing. His door opens with a squeak.

TOM  
Jake, you can’t keep leaving the dog door unlocked at night. Homer was out in the yard. If you do it again, I’m telling mom.

TOM (CONT’D)  
Okay, then? Sleep under your bed for all I care. (chuckles) Good night, weirdo.

He closes the door with a click, and Jake crawls back out. He flops into bed and stuffs a pillow over his face, his body convulsing with sobs.

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. JAKE'S BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING

Windows start up noise, and a loading bar with green squares sliding left to right under the logo. Jake sits at his desk at a bulky grey computer. A row of action figures sits on the top shelf of the desk. He rubs the mouse from side to side, we hear the rattle of the rollerball. He stares at the desktop: blue water and palm trees on a small island. He pulls up a blank document and begins to type.

He writes: “My name is Jake. That’s my first name, obviously. I can’t tell you my last name. It would be too dangerous.” He highlights ‘dangerous’ in dark blue and clicks to underline it.

JAKE (V.O.)  
The Controllers are everywhere. Everywhere. And if they knew my full name, they could find me and my friends, and then...well, let’s just say I don’t want them to find me. What they do to people who resist them is too horrible to think about--

Jake’s head jerks over to a tapping on the window. He runs to the window and throws open the shutter, a hawk hops into the inner sill. Jake looks exhausted, purple under his eyes, and he whispers in a voice rough from tears.

JAKE  
You made it. Oh man, you had me scared. I thought you got trapped down there. It’s so good to see you.

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
Good to see you too, Jake. How are the others?

JAKE  
Alive. I guess that’s all that counts.

The bird shuffles from foot to foot and ruffles its feathers.

TOBIAS  
Yeah. That’s all that matters.

JAKE  
Come on, Tobias. Morph back. You can stay here. You could even use my bed if you want. I could sleep on nails, I’m so tired.

The two stare at one another, and Jake covers his eyes with his wrist, gritting his teeth. He knows.

JAKE (CONT’D)  
Come on, Tobias. Morph back.

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
Jake...I...I can’t. I had to hide. They didn’t see me, they even think we’re Andalites. They still don’t know humans touched the box. But--

Jake covers his face fully. He moans.

JAKE  
No...no...

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
I guess...this is me from now on.

When Jake takes his hands away, tears fall down his cheeks.

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
It’s okay, Jake. Like you said, we’re alive. That’s all that matters, right? This is okay by me. I never told you, but my Uncle was the one who broke my arm. He’d had too much to drink one night, and...well, now I won’t have to live there anymore.  And I can see! Without any stupid glasses! I can see so well, Jake, I...

Jake sits on the foot of his bed, back curled, gripping his hair. Tufts stick up between his fingers.

TOBIAS (V.O.)  
The Andalites will come to rescue our planet. They’ll know what to do about the Yeerks when they come back.

Jake nods and swipes away the tears.

JAKE  
Yeah. Until they come to rescue us. Until they come... we’ll fight them.

FADE TO BLACK.


End file.
